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Leila Le, who is 22 months old, was among the thousands of people who went to Tecumseh Park on June 2 to check out the Chatham-Kent Youth Festival. Face-painting, balloon animals, and the opportunity to play with some of the toys used in summer municipal recreation programs were among the highlights of the event.

In the hopes of preventing future damage to the ground, council approved seeking grant funding for a hard surface at Tecumseh Park.

According to a staff report on Monday, this would result in fewer issues from event vehicles and outdoor exhibits. The project is pegged at $663,000; however, it would still need to return to council for final approval.

The money would come from the federal government's Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund. If approved, funding would be for a third of the cost.

Don Shropshire, chief administrative officer, said the municipality should be proactive with the hard surface.

"That is needed or we're going to have a lot more damage to the park," he said.

Chatham Coun. Derek Robertson entered a successful motion asking that the Chatham Cultural Centre upgrades be removed from grant consideration, since council still needs to determine operating plans for the facility.

His motion that a fountain also be added, with the savings from removing the cultural centre component from the grant application, was rejected.

With the Aug. 24 application deadline, some councillors also felt it wasn't enough notice.

Wallaceburg Coun. Sheldon Parsons said he believes the municipality must reign in its spending habits.

"We're expected to make a decision tonight and that's not right," he said.

However, South Kent Coun. Karen Herman said if the grant is available it should be sought for needed projects.

"Let's get this going forward," she said. "We will lose if we don't get this in."

Council will also seek a grant to assist with the rehabilitation of downtown infrastructure in Tilbury. This would consist of upgrades to sidewalks, crossings, lighting and landscape features. Cost is estimated at $900,000.

The government's Economic Action Plan 2012 announced $150 million nationally over two years. Money goes towards existing infrastructure, such as recreational buildings, arenas and cultural facilities.